The Wrong Goodbye
by WannabeeAussie
Summary: Before Emma met Ash and Zane fell for Rikki, the two childhood friends had a secret relationship that resulted in a life-changing transformation. Now that Emma's back from her travels and Zane is single, can Emma rekindle their relationship without destroying her friendship with Rikki?
1. Chapter 1

'I have to train tomorrow. Cleo said she would help me.' Emma quickly typed into her phone. 'We can meet up today or the day after tomorrow.'

She only had to wait a few seconds for the reply. 'Today asap.'

Emma smiled down at her phone. 'I'll be there soon.' she sent back. She waited a minute for a reply and realized she wasn't going to get one. She tucked her phone into her pocket and tried to think of an excuse she hadn't used before.

"Mum!" she called out into her house. "Mum?"

"Yes, Em?" Emma's mother answered from the kitchen.

"I'm going for a run. I'll be back by dinner." she invented on the spot. Her mum appeared from beneath the staircase with a smile and oven mitts on her hands. Her face fell when she saw her daughter.

"Oh, Emma, you have to stop training in your good clothes. You kick up sand when you run and they ruin all your shorts." she said, looking over Emma's outfit. She had on blue jean shorts, a sky blue tank top and flats. Her bikini was on underneath of her clothes.

"Um...I'm not really running, just jogging to the beach and then I might go for a swim. I promise I won't ruin anything. See you soon! Whatever you're making, it smells great."

"It's a new tofu recipe." she replied, momentarily distracted from Emma's excuse. "We're eating at six, be back by then."

"Okay." Emma readily agreed. That left a little more than an hour and a half to spend with him.

Once she was out of the house, Emma quickly sped up her pace. She was always so eager to see her boyfriend. It also felt weird to think of Zane Bennett as her boyfriend. They had known each other forever. She'd always thought of him as a jerk until recently, when he'd asked her to help him improve his swimming. They had started spending more time together and Zane let down his walls around her. She realized now that he was actually a really nice guy. The whole 'bad-boy' image was just that: an image.

About a month ago, Emma and Zane had kissed for the first time. After that, they started seeing each other outside of the pool. They were careful not to be caught together, meeting up on his boat or secret spots on the beach. Emma knew her friends would never understand that she genuinely liked (loved?) Zane, and he felt the same way about her.

Zane Bennett, she thought and shook her head. Who would believe of all people, it would be Zane who's my first...love?

Emma's body tingled in anticipation and apprehension at the same time. She loved being with Zane, she really did, but lately he'd been changing. They had agreed to keep their relationship a secret from the very beginning, but Zane had changed his mind. He wanted to be public, to hold hands on the sidewalks and go to the JuiceNet together. Emma wasn't ready to be judged like that. She didn't want to be another one of Zane Bennett's girlfriends. Because if their relationship went public, that's all she would be: Zane Bennett's girlfriend of the month.

On the other hand, part of her wanted to openly date Zane, too. She wanted to tell her friends about the sweet things he did for her. She wanted to change her relationship status on Facebook and yell out to the whole world, "We're in love!"

But she couldn't. Not with Zane. It was better kept a secret. Now, she just had to convince Zane of that.

The walk to the marina was pleasant. The sun was shining brightly, the water looked inviting, and she was off to see her boyfriend. So why was she shivering? Why did she feel like something was going to go wrong?

Emma ignored her gut instincts and kept going until she saw Zane's familiar red Zodiac tied up at the dock.

"Hey stranger!" she called to him, an inside joke. They had decided that the phrase meant, 'do you want to hang out?' rather than the friendly greeting it appeared to be. It was their secret way of asking if the other was free. If he replied, 'I haven't seen you in a while' it meant he would be busy, and if he asked what she'd been up to, he was free. It was kind of dumb, but Emma found that secrets made them bond.

"Hey!" he yelled back. "What're you up to right now?"

"Going for a swim, supposedly." Emma walked quickly up the dock and towards Zane. Their voices got quieter. "I have an hour and a half."

"Hop in." he told her softly with a huge grin. He shifted to make room for her on the small boat. Emma looked along the deserted marina before jumping in. She did it expertly, the boat only rocking slightly. Emma had done that many times before.

Unexpectedly, Zane handed her a paddle. Emma frowned. "We're rowing?"

"Yeah, someone stole my spark plug." he replied, his voice filled with annoyance. "I bet it was Nate, this would be his idea of a joke."

"Not a very funny one." Emma commented, dipping her oar into the water and pushing the boat along.

There was no noise but the lapping of the water as they rowed. They went far enough out to see so that no one from shore would be able to distinguish who was on the boat. Emma's shoulders were sore, but it was a relief to be alone with Zane. With him, she didn't have to be perfect, straight-A swim champ Emma Gilbert. She could just...be. No pressure involved.

Zane's lips found hers and they stayed together like that for a long, blissful moment. Sadly, that moment came to an end.

"Have you changed your mind at all?" Zane whispered.

"About what?"

"You aren't getting sick of this? All the secrecy?" Zane gestured around him. "The only place we can hang out is hundreds of meters from shore!"

"It's necessary." Emma argued softly. "You know it is. No one will understand..."

Zane took both of her hands in his. "We'll _make_ them understand." he leaned in to kiss her again, but Emma pulled away.

"They won't and you know it. Your dad doesn't like me. My friends don't like you. Nothing that we say or do will change that." her voice rose slightly with passion.

Zane rolled his eyes. "Who cares?"

"I do! People will think I'm the new Miriam or something. That's not what I want. We agreed to keep us a secret, so why are you trying to go back on that?" Emma's cheeks were flushed. The air got colder, almost corresponding with their fight.

"You're really bringing up Miriam again? I told you, she doesn't mean anything to me." Zane said. But it wasn't her Zane speaking, it was the facade that he put on for the rest of the world. While Emma was sharing all of her concerns, Zane was putting his walls up. The walls she'd worked so hard to knock down.

"How long will it be before you stop caring about me, too?" her voice took on an icy edge.

"You want to know what I think this is about? You're ashamed of being with me. You care too much about what other people think. You're jealous of Miriam. And you were wrong for once in your life." his words were bitter and angry. Emma had a feeling that he'd been holding them in for a long, long time. "I'm not the bad guy here."

It was time for damage control. She'd never meant to start a fight. "None of that is true! I'm sorry, I just don't think we should go public yet."

But Zane obviously wasn't done fighting yet. He pulled away from her and crossed his arms. "Well, I'm done with being kept a secret. Either we tell everyone we're together, or we're done."

Emma flinched at his ultimatum. She answered instinctively, her stubbornness kicking in. Zane was right about one thing: she hated to be in the wrong. "Alright. Have it your way."

His mouth dropped open. Clearly he'd been expecting a different response, and Emma wasn't planning on giving it to him. Despite the fact that she was fully clothed, Emma dove off the side of the Zodiac. She swam quickly, years of swim practice having honed her muscles. Her mind, however, was overflowing with crazy thoughts. Should she give up control to her heart rather than her brain? Should she turn around and go back?

Tears started to mix with the ocean water. Emma never turned back. Perhaps if she had, her life would've turned out much differently.

Xxx

That night, Emma put on a mask. She appeared happy and cheerful to her family that night, and the next morning she invited her friend Cleo to help her train.

Zane wasn't quite as productive. He was out for revenge. And because he didn't see Emma, he focused his attention on the person closest to her: Cleo. He tricked Cleo onto his boat and pushed it out to sea, not knowing the consequences that would affect her, his former love, and his future love.

Zane fell hard for Rikki, eventually ruining his chances with her by kissing Sophie. Emma found love with Ash Dove, the riding instructor. But every time Zane got a little too close, Emma picked a fight with him. Every time she heard Zane say "hey, stranger" to her best friend, she felt a pang of longing for that summer.

Emma left for a trip around the world, hoping that when she returned the past would be firmly in the past. But old feelings die hard, especially first love. One day they could get back what they had. Maybe that day would be sooner than either of them imagined.

**So there you have it! The possible beginning of a brand new story! :) I haven't decided yet whether or not I should make this a one-shot or a story...if a lot of people are interested in seeing this expanded, then I will continue it! My inspiration for this story is just plain old young love, and the fact that I really like Emma and Zane together. The title comes from an episode of Gossip Girl entitled 'The Wrong Goodbye'. A chapter two would push the story forward to after season 3, when Emma returns from her trip and Rikki and Zane are broken up. So if you'd like to see chapter two, let me know what you think! xx**


	2. The Return

**So I've decided to turn this into a story after all! Updates may not be very often, perhaps every two weeks, because this story isn't my main priority right now. However, I really love the idea of having a Zane and Emma fic so here we go! Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter!**

Emma dropped her carry-on and ran into the arms of the two people she'd missed most: Cleo and Rikki.

"Can't. Breathe." Rikki fake-gasped. Emma released them and grinned. It was so, so good to be back.

Cleo had tears in her eyes, which created a chain reaction on Emma. Her eyes welled up, too.

"Come on, guys, we don't have time for hysterics." Rikki said with a laugh. "We have people to see, places to go..."

"The luggage claim?" Emma reminded Rikki. "And then to my house to drop everything off."

"And _then_ to Mako! You won't even recognize the place, Em." the three girls started walking towards the baggage claim as Rikki launched into a story about cleaning up the Moon Pool and how good it looked now. The girls had sent Emma pictures of the wreckage after Zane and some other people had ruined it. She found it hard to believe that even Cleo or Rikki could fix that kind of damage.

Emma retrieved her three suitcases and followed her friends out to their waiting taxi. Emma told the driver her old, familiar address and felt a surge of happiness. She was really back! Her travels had been amazing, of course, but home was welcome. Soon everything would be back to normal.

"So why didn't the rest of your family want to come home early?" Cleo asked once they were all cramped into the taxi.

"There was this water park that they wanted to go to. It took me forever to talk them into letting me come home early." Emma laughed. Finally, to be back with people who would understand.

Cleo and Rikki had a lot of questions for her, and those took up the rest of the drive. Before she knew it, Emma was back in front of her old house. It had a dark, lonely appearance to it. There would be a lot of cleaning that needed to be done before Emma would deem it liveable again, but her friends didn't give her time to start a list.

Emma ran inside for a quick look around. There were the scratches her old dog had made on their floor. There was the spot Cleo had pretended to faint at when they pretended to be sick. In the kitchen, little black marks on the wall showed how Emma and Elliott had grown over the years. Emma breathed it all in.

"Put your stuff upstairs and let's get going!" Rikki said impatiently. She grabbed one of Emma's bags and started pulling it towards Emma's room. Cleo did the same with another bag, and Emma took the last.

She promised herself she would have a proper reunion with her bedroom and the rest of her house later when she had more time. The three girls dropped off Emma's luggage in her room and dashed off to the beach.

The mermaids didn't race to Mako the way they usually did. Emma had seen a lot of beautiful oceans during her travels, but none quite like the reef around the Gold Coast. She wanted to enjoy her first time back in familiar waters. Rikki and Cleo seemed to respect that and didn't urge her to swim faster.

Eventually, though, the entrance to the Moon Pool loomed. Emma braced herself. She knew there had been changes. Cleo and Rikki tried their best, it wouldn't look the same but she couldn't let the disappointment show...

She surfaced to see three people and the cavern lit up with fairy lights and streamers. Cleo and Rikki popped up just behind her.

"Welcome home, Emma!" everyone yelled. She beamed back at them.

"I got your favorite." Lewis said, producing a big box. "Red velvet cupcakes."

"You guys didn't have to do this." Emma said, genuinely touched. Lewis and the other blonde guy, Will, began helping the mermaids out of the pool. Bella was careful to stay away from them in their wet state.

While Bella wasn't looking, Emma peeked at her. She had seen photos, of course, but somehow pictures never captured a person. She looked nice, a bit shorter than Emma had imagined...but nice. In pictures she seemed a lot more threatening, probably because she was with Emma's best friends when Emma wasn't. She was more willing to give her a chance now.

"You must be Bella." she said warmly. "It's nice to finally meet you!"

Bella's face lit up, like she'd also been unsure about what Emma's reaction to her would be. "Same! I've heard a lot about you."

The two girls quickly became acquainted, bonding immediately. Emma also met Will, Bella's boyfriend, who was just as easy to get along with.

Eventually they moved the party from the Moon Pool to the beach. Someone had thought to bring chairs and Rikki made a big bonfire. They sat around it talking for hours, long into the night. Emma told her new and old friends all about her travels and they described some of their adventures that she hadn't heard before. She'd been at Times Square during New Years Eve and and Panama Beach during Spring Break, but this was her kind of party.

Emma's jet-lag finally started to set in around 1:30. Everyone helped pack away the chairs, food and drinks into Lewis's boat before leaving. They all agreed to meet up at Rikki's cafe the next day. Emma was both apprehensive and eager to see the changes that had been done to the old JuiceNet. Under Rikki and Zane's control, the place probably had strobe lights and rock music blaring twenty-four seven. Then again, Rikki had certainly changed a lot. Maybe Zane had, too...

She shook the thought of Zane out of her head, the way she always did. That bridge had burned long ago. She had no feelings for him anymore—at least that's what she told herself.

Xxx

The next morning Emma woke up with the strangest feeling, like she'd been transported back in time. It was her junior year again, she was off to work a shift at the JuiceNet and then go for a swim with Cleo and Rikki.

However, none of this was right. She had graduated high school. The JuiceNet didn't exist. If she swam, there would be another tail with them.

Emma had never liked change, and suddenly it was overwhelming her.

She pushed the feelings aside and started to get ready. She threw on a white tennis skirt and a sky blue polo shirt. Her big silver locket peeked out of the collar of her shirt and beige Sperry Topsiders adorned her feet. She left her hair naturally straight and went out the door. Her stomach rumbled, as there was no food in her house at the moment.

Before long, Emma spotted the glowing red sign of the _Rikki's_ Cafe. Several customers were coming in or out. The place was very crowded, nothing like how Emma had expected. Rikki had told her that the cafe had money issues. Maybe business had picked up since then.

She brushed past a shaggy-haired guy and into the cafe. The biggest difference between _Rikki's_ and the JuiceNet was the big stage towards the front. There was a big drum set, a keyboard, and a guitar set up there as well as a microphone at center stage.

Emma was surprised to see that the rest of the cafe looked really nice, too. It was more modern than the JuiceNet had been and it looked cool, not punk.

"How can I he—Emma?" she heard a painfully familiar voice say behind her. Zane.

She turned around the see him. He hadn't changed much, except his hair was shorter and he looked more muscular. "Hey."

"I didn't know you were coming back. Sorry, I don't have much time to talk right now." he gestured to the many filled tables around him. "But we should catch up."

"Yeah, sure." Emma said. Her stomach took a dive. She'd just made almost-plans with Zane Bennett, and the thought thrilled her.

Zane rushed off to take another order. Emma looked around until she spotted her friends, in a booth near the back.

"Like the place?" Rikki asked as Emma slid in next to Cleo.

"Yes, actually. Who knew you and Zane could make such a good team?" the words slipped out as a joke, but no one laughed. Rikki tensed.

"We didn't. That's why the cafe almost shut down." Rikki said bluntly.

There was an awkward silence. Emma was about to apologize for being so thoughtless when Bella changed the subject.

"How did Zane get business to pick up, anyway? For the past few weeks this place has been really busy." Bella commented lightly. Emma shot her a grateful look.

"I think he let a few people go." Will said. "Sophie got laid off."

"Good riddance." Rikki said. She didn't sound terribly angry anymore, though.

"There was also that surf comp here last weekend." Lewis said. "That brought in a lot of customers."

"Oh yeah! We came here and had to wait a half-hour before we could even get our order taken. It was so busy." Cleo added.

Rikki rolled her eyes. "That can't be good for business. No one wants to wait that long. Zane needs to hire more people to replace the ones he let go."

Everyone nodded in agreement and sipped their drinks. Emma realized that she hadn't ordered yet and stood up to do so.

The line by the register was long and didn't appear to be moving any time soon. Emma quickly saw why. Zane was the only person working, so he was trying to do every task at once. He was mixing smoothies, working the till, taking orders, and cleaning the tables all by himself.

Most of the people in line were clutching their money and bills, obviously trying to pay so they could leave. Emma looked up to the register and saw that it was the same kind that Wilfred had used when _Rikki's_ was the JuiceNet.

Emma pushed her way to the front of the line and slipped behind the counter. A man handed her his bill and his money and Emma began totaling it up for him, putting the money in the till when she was done.

"Have a nice day! Thanks for coming." she told the man and handed him his change. The next customer came forward and she did the same for her, and the next, and the next.

A young couple approached her. "I'll have a medium strawberry-banana smoothie." the girl said.

"And I'll take a large mango with added protein." the guy added.

"Oh, I don't really work...never mind. A strawberry-banana and a mango with protein, coming up." she scribbled the order down and started totaling the next bill.

Eventually Zane came back with a bunch of orders and was surprised to see Emma working the register. Before he could get a word out, Emma handed him the order she had just taken.

"I'll take the orders if you make the smoothies." she said. Zane nodded in agreement and they both got to work.

The lunch rush faded after about a half hour. By that time, Emma was exhausted. She had no idea how Zane had managed without another worker all morning.

"We need to talk." Zane said, gesturing to his office. He handed her a drink as she walked in. She sipped it cautiously and was touched to find that it was a Banana Beatbox—her favorite smoothie.

"What is this about?" Emma asked. She kept a careful distance from her former enemy/friend/love.

"Well, first of all...thanks. For helping, I mean."

"No problem." she murmured.

"I'll pay you, don't worry." Zane said. Emma was about to argue, but he kept talking. "Second, how would you like to work here?"

"Here?" Emma asked. She'd been expecting a quick thank you and maybe a few questions about her trip, not a job offer.

"Obviously." he smirked. "Come on, Emma, you worked for Wilfred for two years. Ever since Rikki quit and Sophie got fired, I haven't had a manager. You're perfect for it."

Emma's eyes began to wander, looking anywhere but at Zane and his deep brown eyes. "Don't you think that's a little...not smart? Rikki's my friend. I don't want to replace her."

"No one could ever replace her." Zane said passionately. Emma felt a sudden stab in the heart. He saw her expression and apologized. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm really stressed and it hasn't been easy since the break-up. Everyone keeps telling me to change the name of this place, but it wouldn't feel right, you know? And it doesn't help that she's always here, day after day, just hanging out and she won't talk to me."

"Sorry." Emma said softly. She'd never realized just how strong Zane's feelings for Rikki were. She would never admit it, but the thought made her a little jealous.

"It's not your fault. Just me, I'm the idiot." Zane sighed. "Anyway...will you take the job or not?"

Emma took a moment to consider it. Working with Zane, her ex and her best friend's ex, wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. But she did need to start saving for uni, and she did really like waitressing...

"I'll take it."

**So what do you think of the first official chapter of The Wrong Goodbye? And what do YOU think should happen? Are you warming up to the idea of Emma and Zane together or nah? Any suggestions are welcome xx**


	3. Messages

"I would've never thought to do it that way." Zane said as Emma sorted through his bills. "Rikki and I always scrambled for money to pay these at the end of the month."

"Yeah, see this way you will be less likely to overspend throughout the month. And always pay your most important bills first." Emma told him, remembering all of the business advice she'd learned from a short internship at an office in New York City.

She heard beads rustle out in the cafe, the sign that someone had just walked in. "We'll start looking through bank statements later today." she called behind her. It was so, so nice to be doing this again. Emma loved to organize, plan, and arrange things. Already this morning she'd taken inventory, created a new work schedule, and reorganized the freezer, and it wasn't even noon!

"Hey, Emma!" Cleo, Rikki, Bella, and Lewis greeted her.

"Having fun working for Zane?" Will, Bella's boyfriend, asked with a laugh.

"It's not too bad, surprisingly." Emma replied. It was true; Zane was very laid-back but he also knew how to get things accomplished. He knew what was going on in the cafe and had a really good budget plan. Best of all, he wasn't pushy. He never got too close, he never flirted with her. There was definitely a line drawn there...they were friends and business partners. That was all.

But Emma was starting to wonder if she wanted something more...

She forced the thought away and took her friends' orders. She quickly made their drinks, told Zane she was going on her lunch break, and sat down with them.

Cleo launched into the story about her dad's wedding to Sam while Emma listened intently. Cleo had always been a really good story teller. By the end, Emma felt like she had had a front row seat to the wedding.

"I can't believe Kim did that." Emma said at the end. "She's always been a brat, but I didn't think she'd intentionally sabotage a wedding."

"Tell me about it." Cleo replied with a roll of her eyes. "We almost got exposed and Dad and Sam almost didn't get married!"

Emma heard how casually her friend said "Dad and Sam". She had yet to meet Cleo's new stepmom, although she'd seen pictures of her. She looked nice, and all the stories she'd heard about her so far were good.

Next, Lewis told everyone a funny story involving a dolphin at his Marine Biology school. He had just gotten back from America a few weeks before Emma had arrived. The group dissolved into laughter. Emma couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so at peace, so right. It was like sleeping in her own bed after a week of hotels.

Bella cut in with a serious look on her face. "Did you just see that girl?"

Emma and the others craned their necks. "No. Why, what was wrong with her?" Rikki asked.

"I don't know...something just seemed a little..._off_. She came in here, put something on that table and left. It seems sketchy, right?" Bella explained. She gestured to a dirty table in the corner. "Should we check it out?"

"No, don't worry about it." Emma said. "I have to clear off that table in a few minutes, anyway."

Bella didn't mention the strange girl again, but continued to shoot curious glances at the table. Eventually Emma's break was over, so she said good-bye to her friends and got back to work.

Bussing the table really _was_ one of her jobs, but she put it off. Something felt very, very off to her. Obviously the only way to find out what was causing the feeling was to check out the table, but she was finally back with her friends. Things were good. She didn't want anything, even a strange customer, to dampen her spirits.

Some things couldn't be avoided, however.

"Emma, someone left this on a table for you." Zane handed her a note that, sure enough, had her name in big, bold letters on the front. "Do you know who it's from?"

"No idea." Emma murmured. She looked all over the envelope to see if someone had given their name.

"Okay, well, table four is ready to order whenever you have time." he reminded her. Then her took the rest of the dishes to the back to be washed. Emma watched him leave, slightly transfixed. She could never think straight around Zane.

She turned back to the envelope. She didn't recognize the handwriting. With a slow, deliberate movement, Emma tore it open.

**I wonder how Rikki will react when she finds out that your first love was her first love? I'll meet you at four today. Don't bring anyone, or Rikki will find out. Xoxo**

Emma read it again. And again. And four more times after that. Her mind raced to explain the message...how could anyone find out about Zane? They had been so careful...

"Em? Is something wrong?" Zane spoke up. Emma jumped and clutched the note to her chest. Zane couldn't know that their secret was in danger. At least, not until she learned who knew and what they wanted.

"No, nothing." she replied quickly.

"Did you drop something?" he bent down and retrieved something Emma hadn't noticed before: a ticket to the Marine Park dolphin show.

"I guess I won a free ticket." she said with a tight smile. She took the ticket from Zane and saw that it was for today at four o'clock. That explained where the mysterious messenger wanted to meet her at.

Very suddenly, Emma became aware of how close Zane was to her. She took several steps backwards and blushed. "Uh...I'll go check on table four." she muttered and rushed off.

For the rest of her shift, Emma felt uneasy. Maybe she was paranoid, but it felt like someone was watching her. Maybe someone was. She wished Bella had stayed so she could ask her more questions about who she'd seen, but her friends had left.

Work went by far too quickly. She wanted more time to think, more time to plan. She had a few guesses about who the messenger could be—someone who hated her—but _how_? How could someone figure out one of her best-kept secrets? She needed answers before she could face this person who threatened to disrupt her life.

Just two short hours later, Emma took off her apron and prepared to meet the mystery girl. Was she being threatened? Was this all a joke?

She would find out soon enough.

**Sorry this chapter is so short! I've been crazy busy lately and I wanted to update asap. This part of the storyline, where someone finds out, wasn't originally intended, but AudreyCariba suggested it and I love the idea! Thank you! The next few chapters should be more dramatic. Review? Or not. But they make me happy and encourage me to update faster :)**


	4. Passages

"Row seven, seat four." a kindly Marine Park worker told Emma as she ripped her ticket, put one half in a bin, and gave the other half back to Emma. "Enjoy the show!"

"Thanks." Emma mumbled. She didn't have the heart to tell the lady that she definitely would _not _be enjoying the show.

She entered the audience area and let her eyes scan the crowd. Row seven would be..._there_. She counted the seats until she found where seat four, her seat, would be. Seat three was empty, but seat five was occupied.

The person—obviously a female—had gone to great lengths to be disguised. A long black wig and a floppy white sun hat covered the girls head. A huge pair of sunglasses obscured her eyes. But there was a telltale evil smile forming on her lips that Emma recognized immediately...

She marched quickly up the stairs, realizing how serious her situation had become.

Too quickly, she was taking her seat next to the evil girl.

"Hello Emma." she said cooly.

"Hello Charlotte." Emma replied, hoping she sounded confident despite the fact that she was scared.

With an annoyed grown, Charlotte pulled off her wig and sunglasses. "Seriously? I go to that much effort to disguise myself, and my voice gives me away. Pity."

"Why would you want to hide yourself, anyway?" Emma asked curiously. She was also hoping to keep Charlotte in a good mood. Emma had always been somewhat nice to her, unlike Rikki and Cleo. She had given the ex-mermaid a fair go. Until Charlotte began abused her powers—as well as Emma and her friends—Emma had been quite nice to her.

"I thought Cleo or Lewis would be around. They would freak if they saw me." Charlotte laughed. Emma nodded in agreement. "Still, I thought this would be a good place to meet up. Very public."

The word 'public' sent a chill down Emma's spine. Charlotte wasn't planning to...expose her, was she? Emma had to admit, a show centered around aquatic animals was probably the perfect setting for a mermaid demonstration.

"Okay." Emma said quietly. "So what did you want to talk about?" she asked, hoping for a quick catch-up.

Charlotte smirked. "Nervous, Em? I've gotta admit, I never thought about you and Zane together before. But now that I know...I'm thinking it's meant to be. Childhood sweethearts, young love and all that. Do you agree?"

Emma shook her head. Her body felt like it was turning to stone. "H-how?" she stammered. "How did you find out?"

Charlotte dug into her purse and pulled out a pale blue journal, never changing the sly expression on her face. "You left this behind when you moved."

Emma gaped. "You broke into my house?! You read my diary?"

"Please." Charlotte scoffed. "It's not a big deal. You and Cleo read my diary once, too, remember? I was getting even...and learned some very interesting secrets along the way."

Emma folded her arms in anger. There was nothing she could do about this now. She just had to wait and see what Charlotte wanted.

The dolphin show began; Emma and Charlotte watched it in silence for several minutes. Finally the redhead started talking again...and she did not like what came out of her mouth.

Charlotte cleared her throat, rather dramatically. Emma wished she'd just get it over with, whatever she was planning on doing.

"Today the weirdest thing happened. I'm not sure how I feel about it right now...but Zane kissed me. Or maybe we both kissed each other. I've never thought of him like this before. He's always been so arrogant. With me he's gentle and even sweet sometimes. I still can't believe it. I don't know what to do now. Should I talk to him or avoid him? Tell him it was a mistake or one of the best things that has ever happened to me? I'm just so confused." Charlotte read quietly. Each one sent Emma back in time to her first kiss and how Zane had made her feel. She'd been so innocent back then.

After a few flips of the pages, Charlotte began again. "I finally talked to Zane about our kiss. At first I tried to play it off like it didn't mean anything, but he knew it was my first. He was so kind about it. I don't feel pressured by him at all. I'm sure a million other girls have thought this...but he could be the one. Or at the very least, he could be a very important person. I just have to let him and I don't know if I can do that. We're going on a date tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited or nervous. This will change everything."

She hung her head. Charlotte had no right to do this to her. Those were her private thoughts from a time when she was naive and hopeful. Didn't every fifteen-year-old girl think their first boyfriend was going to be the one?

"Things between me and Zane are heating up. I'm so scared someone will find out. My parents would freak and so would my friends. I'm spending too much time with him. It's gotten to a point where I want to skip practice to hang out with Zane. I always lie to my parents about where I am. They never doubt me...after all, would their perfect princess lie to them? I hate keeping secrets but this one is necessary. I love Zane Bennett. Nothing has ever thrilled me more than writing those words, even though I haven't said them...yet."

"Stop." Emma whispered. "I had no idea when I wrote that...things have changed so much."

Charlotte smiled at her and turned the page. The other dolphin spectators clapped and cheered, but Emma could barely hear them over Charlotte's torturous whispers.

"I'm starting to feel less guilty about the lying and the sneaking around. Days like today make it all worth it. There was a big business party at Zane's house and Zane and I snuck off for hours. I finally told him! And he said it right back. I feel like I'm floating. Zane is worth whatever I have to do to keep him. We're in love and nothing will ever stop us."

With that last line, the evil girl shut Emma's journal with a faint plop. "You may remember that there is a lot more in this fascinating little diary of yours. How you were against Rikki and Zane's relationship because you were jealous, how you felt when you rescued him from a sinking boat...I know all of it. The question is, who else do you want to find out?"

"Charlotte, _please_. This isn't a joke. I know that you hate me but that's no reason to ruin my friendships." Emma pleaded. "What do I have to do to make this go away?"

"Oh, Emma. You're in such a rush. I'll tell you what: I do have a few requests from you, but let's not talk about those now. Do you still remember where my house is?"

She nodded. "If you live in the same place, then yes, I do."

"I transferred schools, I didn't move away." Charlotte said with a roll of her eyes. "Meet me there tonight around six and we'll discuss this further." She blew Emma a kiss, stood up, and strutted away.

Emma was left to deal with the fact that her life was most likely about to fall apart.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween! I sure did :) The next chapter will be about Charlotte's demands. Please let me know if you liked this chapter! xx


	5. Demands

"Hello? What can I do for you?" Mrs. Watsford answered the door after three knocks.

"Um...hi. I'm here to see Charlotte." Emma replied awkwardly. It was difficult not to project her hate for Charlotte onto Charlotte's mother.

Mrs. Watsford brightened immediately. "Oh, you're Emma! I remember you from Don Sertori's dinner party. Charlotte's in her room, you can go on up. It's the first door on the right after you go up the stairs."

"Thanks, Mrs. Watsford." she said. She took her shoes off and entered the house.

"Will you be staying for dinner? We're having pizza." Mrs. Watsford asked.

"Oh...well, I don't think so." She hoped she wouldn't have to stay here long enough for dinner. The Watsford home was lovely, but being here again gave her the creeps.

"There will be enough if you change your mind." Mrs. Watsford gave her one last smile and went to the kitchen, where Emma heard faint Oldies music playing.

She braced herself and went up the stairs slowly, one at a time. Charlotte's door was slightly ajar, but Emma knocked before she went in.

"Good, you're here." Charlotte said. She sounded a bit orderly, like how a boss would treat an employee. This would not be fun. Emma pictured herself dressed as a maid doing whatever Charlotte wanted and gave an inward shudder at the thought.

"What did you want to tell me?" Emma asked. She lingered near the door, hoping she would be allowed to leave quickly.

Charlotte gestured to her bed and Emma sat reluctantly. "Well...in exchange for my silence about your little romance with Zane, I have a few requests."

"Like what?" Emma asked, determined to keep her cool. She would not lose control to the witch who was trying to take it.

"I, um...I didn't make a lot of friends at my new school. So I've been looking for some people to hang out with." Charlotte said demurely. She almost seemed embarrassed at the request. Emma felt a slight stab of pity for the girl...then remembered all the things she'd done to her. "I always did want to try being friends with you guys again. Just until uni starts, of course."

"Of course." Emma murmured. "I guess I can _try_...but it won't be easy."

"Okay. So basically just try to get Rikki and Cleo on my side." Charlotte said, as if it were the easiest task in the world to accomplish.

"I can only do that if you don't do or say anything mean to them." Emma pointed out. Charlotte shot her a glare and moved on to her next request.

"What's your number?" she asked, pulling out her pink-cased iPhone. Emma added herself as a contact in it and Charlotte texted her. "Now you can do what I say and all I have to do is text you!" she said gleefully. Emma rolled her eyes.

"I have limits." she snapped. "I'm not going to drop everything and go running to you whenever you want a smoothie!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Emma." Charlotte replied. "Give me your phone."

"I already saved your number." Emma said.

"Give me your phone." she demanded again. With a sigh, Emma handed it over. Charlotte started typing away on it.

"What are you doing?!" Emma tried to peek at the screen but Charlotte blocked it with her hand. "I never agreed to this!"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Relax. I'm just texting Rikki, Cleo and Lewis."

"And saying what?!" Emma tried to grab the phone again. After a slight tussle, Emma gained the upper hand and wrenched the phone out of her hands. "You'll never guess who I just ran into..." she read aloud. "Why did you send them _that_?"

"Well we have to get reacquainted before I meet the others again, don't we? I figured we could run into each other shopping and get on good terms, that way we'll already be friends when you reintroduce them to me."

Her phone buzzed and Charlotte snatched it away. Emma truly believed that Charlotte had turned insane since she lost her mermaid powers.

"Now what are you saying?" Emma looked over her shoulder as Charlotte typed.

"Cleo and Lewis both said "Who?" and Rikki said "Ryan Reynolds?"" she told Emma. "Now I'm telling them "Charlotte! She's changed so much."

Emma rolled her eyes. This was ridiculous.

"Anyway, I'm going to text your friends all about how we're friends now. You're going to invite them to Rikki's cafe tomorrow, where I'm also going to be. You're going to invite me to sit with you guys and then I'll show them how much I've changed!" Charlotte beamed. "Great plan, huh?"

"Sure." Emma said sarcastically. "Can I leave now?"

She redhead gave her a sly smile. "There's one more teensy little request I have..."

"What?"

"You're going to do everything you can to help me be a mermaid again."

**What do you think about Charlotte's demands? Do you think Emma will help her...or come clean about dating Zane? Lots more drama and romance to follow. Please leave a review if you would like me to continue! Thanks for reading, have a great weekend! **


	6. Reintroduction

Emma anxiously checked her watch for the fifth time that minute. At least, she thought it had been a minute. Somehow the short hand had ticked forward five notches instead of one. 'Please slow down' Emma thought to whoever controlled the time. She wasn't ready!

The bell above the door at _Rikki's_ signaled that a group of people were coming in. She looked up to see her friends. They all waved at her as they chose a big table to sit at. Emma gulped and waved back at them.

Her shift would be over at 11 o'clock, only a few minutes away. Emma was to follow Charlotte's plan and relax with her friends until 11:15, when Charlotte would show up. Emma was to act surprised and invite Charlotte to sit with them, giving Charlotte the opportunity to get reacquainted with the group.

Emma had never dreaded anything more.

With a hollow feeling in her gut, she took her friends' orders and started making the drinks.

"Do you need help with anything, Emma?" Zane appeared out of nowhere, making her jump.

"N-no. Thanks." she said quickly. Zane frowned.

"What's up with you today? You're acting so weird. If you're worried about your job, don't. I hardly expect you to know how to do everything on your second day, even if you did work here before." Zane said.

"Thanks." she mumbled, not looking him in the eye. The last thing she needed was Charlotte seeing her talking to Zane.

"Alright...well, finish those juices and then your shift is over. Sophie should be coming in soon." he said and went back to his office. Emma heaved a sigh of relief. She finished making the drinks, put them on a tray and brought them over to her friends' table. She sat down with them after passing out the juices.

"Thanks, Emma." Cleo said happily. Everyone was very cheerful—except her. Will had his arm around Bella, Rikki and Cleo were laughing at something, and Lewis seemed glad to be home with his friends. Emma forced a smile and glanced at the door. Charlotte would be here any minute now. There was an empty chair right between Emma and Bella for her to sit at.

Rikki leaned across the table a bit to talk directly to Emma. "So...you ran into the Queen of Evil yesterday? How did that go?"

Cleo and Lewis were interested, too. "I almost forgot about that! What happened?" Cleo exclaimed.

"Who are you guys talking about?" Bella asked.

"It's a long story." Emma told her. She prepared to give an act that would be deserving of an Oscar. "Actually, she was quite nice. She even apologized for everything that happened and said that if she could do it again, she would try to be friends with us instead of control us."

Apparently she wasn't that convincing. That, or, her friends didn't believe that Charlotte could change. Rikki rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure she wasn't just pretending?" Cleo said doubtfully. "We thought she was nice when we first met her, remember?"

Bella cleared her throat. "And I ask again, who are you talking about?"

"Charlotte." Rikki, Lewis and Cleo answered at the same time.

"Charlotte!" Emma exclaimed, seeing the red-head entering the cafe.

"What is _she_ doing here." Rikki hissed angrily under her breath. "Did you invite her?"

"No!" Emma said. She hoped she sounded convincing. "But while she's here, be nice. I'm going to invite her to sit with us."

"What? No!" Rikki shot back.

"Why not? She's already seen us." she retorted. Using all of her acting ability, Emma projected warmth and friendship into her voice, as if she were talking to Cleo or Rikki. "Charlotte, over here!"

Charlotte smiled as if she wasn't a blackmailing sociopath and approached the table. "Hi, guys." she said shyly.

"Hey." Lewis and Cleo replied. Bella and Will, who had never met the girl, also greeted them. Rikki, however, folded her arms and pointedly turned away.

"Take a seat." Emma invited her. "This is Will...Benjamin, right? And Bella Hartley." Emma introduced the two newest members of the group. She wondered if Bella knew the story behind Charlotte, and if Charlotte knew anything about Bella.

"Nice to meet you." Charlotte shook hands with them both. "Did you go to the same school as Cleo, Emma, Rikki and Lewis?"

"Yeah, just for year twelve. Did you?" Will answered.

"I went there for year eleven and I transferred schools for my final year. I still live around here, though. I bumped into Emma while shopping yesterday and it reminded me of all the places I used to go in year eleven. I thought I'd stop by...I had no idea you bought the place, Rikki!" Charlotte chattered, with brilliant acting.

"Zane bought it, actually." Rikki said tersely.

"Oh. That's sweet of him to name it after you. Are you two still together?"

"No."

"Oh..."

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence throughout the table.

"Are you guys still...swimming a lot?" Charlotte asked tentatively.

"If by that you mean 'are we still mermaids?' the answer is none of your business." Rikki snapped. Charlotte glanced over at Bella and Will with shock. Obviously she didn't know Bella was a mermaid. That was good.

"I'm sorry Rikki, I'm just trying to be nice and let you guys know that I'm okay with the fact that you took away my powers!" Charlotte whispered, tears forming in her eyes. Emma wasn't sure if she was acting or not.

Rikki rolled her eyes. "We don't care if you're okay with it. You lost your powers for a reason, and did you forget that you lost them in the process of trying to get us to lose ours? Stop with the innocent act, Charlotte, no one is buying it."

And with that, Rikki slammed her juice on the table and stormed out of the cafe.

**Sorry for the long update! I've been very busy lately, swimming just started up again, scholarship deadlines are due, and for some reason teachers think it's a good idea to assign a lot of homework at the same time. For those of you reading Hi, Society, I have a case of writers block with the next chapter...I'm writing it, but it's going very very slowly. Anyway, have a Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it and I hope you stick around cause things are going to get interesting! xo**


	7. Outsider

"Do you think we should go after her?" Cleo whispered.

"Yeah, she seems upset." Bella replied. The two girls scooted off their chairs. "It was nice to meet you, Charlotte."

Emma got up to leave with them and Cleo turned back with a sad look on her face. She exchanged glances with Bella. "Maybe it would be best if you didn't come...Rikki needs to calm down." Cleo said to her.

"Oh...okay." Emma said. She watched her best friend walk out with Bella and felt a pang of jealousy. She'd known they had grown close while she was away, but one year of friendship couldn't possibly replace the many years she had known Emma...could it?

"I better go, too." Lewis said. "I have, um, research to do." he got up and left quickly. Charlotte's face fell.

"Sorry to tell you guys this, but I better get going, too. I train with my sister every day at one and she gets really mad when I'm late." Will, the last one left at the table, said sincerely. "It was nice to meet both of you."

Charlotte and Emma said goodbye and then it was just them alone at a table for seven.

Charlotte whirled around to face Emma, her eyes angry and her cheeks flushed. "How could you do that? You didn't even try!"

Emma was suddenly furious. Here she was, risking her friendships to try and please Charlotte, and the evil girl couldn't even appreciate it! "You had to have known that they wouldn't be quick to forgive you! It's not my fault."

For one horrible moment, Emma thought Charlotte might retaliate and tell Emma's secret. Instead, the redhead seemed to calm down. "I guess you're right..." she consented. "Talk to them alone later and convince them I've changed. Tell them I was really upset about making Rikki mad and that I'm sorry I came around. That should make them feel guilty. Anyway, I'll talk to you later. Text me when you speak to the others!" And with that, Charlotte left.

Emma briefly wondered if Charlotte was bipolar. It would explain a lot.

She let her head sink into her hands and sighed. Nothing was going right since she'd returned.

"Hey...are you alright?"

No. Not now. The last thing she needed was to be seen with..._him_.

"I'm fine, Zane. I just want to be alone." she snapped. She knew it wasn't Zane's fault that Charlotte found out, but she blamed him nevertheless.

Zane set a glass down in front of her, ignored her wishes, and took a seat across from her. "What's wrong?"

"I already told you. Nothing is wrong." Emma snapped. "Just leave me alone, _please_."

"What did I do?" Zane retorted.

For a moment, Emma considered telling him. But the past was in the past, and Emma wanted to leave it there. "Nothing. I'm sorry, I'm just in a bad mood."

Zane rolled his brown eyes. "Well, obviously. I asked you why."

Ugh, she could not deal with Zane and his sarcasm right now. How had she ever liked him? "I'm just having friend problems, okay?"

"Ohhh..." Zane said, as if he knew what she was upset about. "It's Bella, isn't it? You're jealous of her."

"I am not!" Emma argued.

"What other friend problems could you be having?" he asked.

"You'd be surprised." Emma groaned. "I can't really tell anyone about it...sorry."

"Is it about Charlotte?" Zane persisted.

"No." Emma said, a little too quickly. "I just ran into her the other day, how could she cause me any problems?"

"I don't know...but it is weird that you're just friends with her all of a sudden. I mean, she tried to get rid of your powers. How could anyone forgive her that quickly?"

"Um...people change. The past is in the past, and all that." she brushed off his question.

"I don't think so." he argued softly. "For me, the past always seems to return. Like you, for example. You left, now you're back. Charlotte left, now she's back. The past is always going to follow you."

Zane's strangely philosophical point of view did make sense, she had to admit. She wondered briefly if Zane was talking about her physically returning from her travels...or if he was hinting that she was back in his life in an emotional way. It seemed like however many times she tried to push him out of her thoughts, he always returned. The past wasn't in the past.

"I need to go." Emma said. If Charlotte returned to the cafe and say her talking to Zane...she didn't want to think about it. "Thanks for the juice."

She stood up and left abruptly, and felt Zane's eyes on her back as she walked away.

**Don't forget to leave a review if you'd like to read more! Also, I have a question for you: Do you think Charlotte should be able to get her powers back? Thanks for reading xo**


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